Forbidden
by The Hungry Writer
Summary: All he wanted was someone to love...


The light of the lantern began to fade and the horses rode off into the distance, taking his love with them. He heard weak attempts to yell out his name, hardly audible. Tears sprung to Vanitas' eyes, something that wasn't a common thing. But he had reason to at this moment, it would be a difficult feat to hold them back. He fell to his knees, chest hurting as the men placed on last kick to his torso and marched off.

The government, the royalty. He hated them. He hated them with such a passion, he doubted one could find something that he hated more. He hated them for keeping him away from his true love. He lifted his head, hoping to get a last glimpse of the light before it faded, but his face fell as he was only met with darkness.

It shouldn't of mattered. He was used to being alone. He had been alone his whole life. His parents dying when he was young, forced to live with his drunk uncle who couldn't of cared about him any less. But that was when this boy, this shining beacon, had entered his life.

_The bakery was filled with a dim light, empty except for a young teenaged boy kneading bread. The air was silent, only the boys soft whistling making ripples in the silence. This was normal, the silent shop. Not many people came in because they were fearful that the boy brought descruction wherever he went. The fire hadn't been his fault, but he had been blamed regardless. _

_The boy jumped as the door's bell rang, unused to the sound. He looked up from the dough, and was shocked to see the most beautiful boy he had ever seen. It was almost like the moment he stepped into the shop, it filled with light. _

_He stared in shock as the boy approached the counter, looking down at the variety of baked goods that ley underneath the glass. After a moment, he looked up and met the gaze of Vanitas._

_"I'm not sure which one to choose." He had said. "Which one would you reccommend?"He smiled at Vanitas, something that had not been done in a while. Vanitas had a hard time keeping his words straight._

_"Um, the tarts are my personal favourite, b-but the pumpkin spice biscuits are also very good." He pointed to each of the deserts as he named them, trying not to stumble over his words as best he could._

_"Hmm.. I think I'll take one of those tart!" The blond boy chirped, pointing at the lemon tarts. Vanitas gave a small smile and pulled one out for the boy._

_"There you go, enjoy." He watched the boy take a small bite out of the tart, and his eyes widened._

_"This is delicious!" He cried, taking another, eager bite._

_Vanitas' smiled brightened, not used to getting praise. "Thank you. I'm glad you like it. Made it all by myself. Well, I make everything here by myself anyways…" He smile fell, but he refrained from crying at the thought. The boy seemed to see his sudden change of emotion, and wanted to know what was wrong with him._

_"Where are your parents? Shouldn't they be helping you?" He tilted his head, finishing off the last of his tart._

_Vanitas tried to keep his head up, despite the sadness that threatened to crush him. "They died when I was younger. All I have left is my uncle, and he isn't much help either." Ven stopped smiling, and his face fell._

_"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss…" He shook the saddened thoughts from his head and reached into his pocket, pulling out three gold coins. "Will this be enough to cover the tart?" Vanitas stared at the coins. They were worth almost as much as the bakery in whole._

_"Don't you think you've overpayed a bit?" He asked._

_"No, I do not." He replied firmly. Vanitas already knew just from the tone of his voice that he would not be swayed. _

_"Alright, as long as you're sure…" He took the coins off the counter and placed them in the money box underneath it. "Have a good day sir." He gave the boy a nod, and went to return to his kneading. _

_"Ventus." Vanitas gave the boy an odd look. "That's my name." Ventus smiled, and turned to leave the shop without another word. _

_And with his name in hand, Vanitas was pretty sure he had fallen for a complete stranger._

Falling, onto his side, his breathing became harsh as he tried to hold back tears. This was not the end. He just got his love, he wasn't going to let it go so easily.

He tried his best to stand up, and limp in the direction the light had gone. But it was dark, and it was hard to navigate his way through the bushes and roots without falling. As his desperations grew stronger, his vision began to blur. If he had of been under normal circumstances, he would have given up by now. But these weren't normal times, and he had to keep going.

_After that first visit, Vanitas found himself in the company of this mysterious Ventus almost daily. He would come in, buy a tart for far too much, and idly chat with him for maybe half an hour. Never any longer. It had always made Vanitas wonder why he was always on such a timeline, but he thought it better not to ask._

_They had gotten close over the weeks that Ventus had come to visit. They chatted about their lives, what they liked to do, mundane things like that. And Vanitas couldn't of enjoyed it more. It had been a very long time since someone had spoken to him so casually. _

_Vanitas waved as Ventus left that day, sighing lightly. Oh how he wished Ventus could stay for hours and hours. All of his worries would be gone if he could. _

_Something possessed him that day to go wave Ventus away as he walked down the street. So, with a smile, he opened the front door and moved to wave to his friend. But his smile quickly faded as the sight outside reached his eyes._

_To his honest surprise, he saw Ventus being pushed into a carriage roughly, and he heard loud yelling from within it. He could hardly make out what they were saying, but he caught a bit of it._

__"…said if I ever found you around that filthy little shop! Remember who you are. You should not be associating yourself with peasants!" _A loud, deep voice bellowed, actually scaring Vanitas. He did not wish to be on the other end of that voice._

"But father! You can't control everything I do!" He recognized that voice. It was Ventus'.

"Oh yes I can. Until you are 18, and you are your own adult, you are obligated to do exactly as I say. Do you understand?!" _His voice raised further, and Vanitas shivered. Why was Ventus letting his father speak in such a way to him?_

"I am going to rule this land one day, how am I supposed to learn if you don't let me talk to the villagers?"

_Rule? As in, ruler. Like the king? Suddenly, Vanitas felt sick. He had fallen for the prince? His heart started racing, and his breathing bis heart started racing, and his breathing bis heart started racing, and his breathing quickened, he was on the verge of hyperventilating. He slammed the store's door shut and slid down the wall, burying his head in his hands. This wasn't happening. He couldn't believe it. How could he be so stupid not to realize? The overpaying on a simple tart, as if he was drowning in coins, only having a certain amount of time to talk. It should have been obvious…_

_"Get off your ass and back to work." He looked up, seeing his uncle stumbling into the store front, obviously drunk once again. Vanitas would have backed down, and continued to work. But something about his state told him to do otherwise._

_"No. _You_ get off _your _ass and do some work for once. I run this whole fucking place, all you do is sit on your ass and knock back the booze. You do some work for once, I'm done." He stood up, holding his head eye, sending a strong glare at his uncle. His uncles face turned scarlet, and his grip on the bottle tightened to the point Vanitas was afraid it would break._

_"Get out." The words cut through him like a knife. He hadn't been expecting it, and it hurt to hear it. But he did not regret what he said, and walked to the door._

_"Good luck runnin' this place on your own you old drunk." He closed the door behind him, and winced as he heard the sound of shattering glass._

_And in that second, he lost all he had left…_

"VEN!" He call as he stumbled a few feet, then fell with a shriek, face landing on something sharp. He lifted his head, feeling and tasting blood as it fell down his face. The pain wasn't anything bad, just sharp prickles. It was the blood he was worried about. He couldn't stay anywhere covered in blood. He took a deep breath, and went on, tankful to see the soft light of the town approaching.

_Vanitas had spent the next few nights living off of scraps and hiding in an alley he saw as safe. He was scared, for the first time in his life. He was alone. He couldn't stand being alone. He needed someone… And that's where that insane idea came from._

_He would go to the castle, and find Ventus, and run._

_There was no proof that Ventus would agree. But he wouldn't be able to be alone. And Ventus was the only person who would ever want to be with him._

_So that night, he snuck past the guards and made it to the prince's room, the only one that would have a light on this late. With a careful look around, he made sure no one would see him, then he started climbing up the stones, finding it easier then he originally thought._

_He made it up to the balcony, and looked past the window curtains to see Ventus sitting at his desk, staring at a piece of paper. With a gentle knock on the glass, Ventus' head shot up. His eyes widened, and he fumbled to get out of his chair._

_"V-Vanitas? What are you doing here? Do you know what they would do if they found you here?" He opened the door and rushed Vanitas into the room, locking both the balcony and his bedroom door. "You're an idiot for coming here." He glared at Vanitas, his voice filled with anger._

_"I had nowhere else to go. And by the looks of it, you just want to get out of here." Vanitas raised an eyebrow and smirk, knowing he was right when Ventus sputtered._

_"H-how did you know that?" Ventus demanded._

_"Who really wants to spend all their time in a stuffy old castle anyway? It was a wild guess." He flopped down onto Ventus' bed, sighing in relief as he sunk into the soft mattress._

_"I- Yeah… You're right…" Ventus sat next to him, falling onto his back. "I hate it here. So much." He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to think._

_Vanitas leaned over him, examining his face in curiosity. He had never gotten such a close look at him before. "Then why don't you leave? With me preferably." Ventus' eyes flew opened, and he squeaked from Vanitas' proximity._

_"But why? What's the point? They'll just come to find us later…" He gave Vanitas a pained expression, as if he wanted to agree, but felt like he couldn't. Vanitas leaned closer to Ventus' face, so close he could feel the blonds warm breath on his face._

_"Why worry about that. We could go as far away as we could. We could run for days, across countries. We could be free of this wretched kingdom." He smiled evilly. "Doesn't that sound nice?" Ventus returned the smile, though it wasn't as bright. He still had his worries, but Vanitas was swaying him._

_"That…does sound nice…" He closed his eyes once more. "D-do you think we could do it? Could we really run that far?"_

_"Yes, of course we could. And then…" He took a deep breath. "And then we could be together in peace." His heart nearly stopped as he waited for an answer._

_"…" Ven stared up at Vanitas. Not giving him a verbal answer. Instead, he reached his head up, and connected their lips. Vanitas was shocked at the action, but immediately began kissing back, moving so that he was completely on top of Ventus. Ventus squeaked, but made no move to stop him, instead he wrapped his hand in Vanitas' hair and held him in place. It seemed he had been waiting for this moment as much as Vanitas was._

_Vanitas moved his hand to Ventus' belt, and that's where he was stopped. "Van… I don't think now's the time…" He pulled away, leaving Vanitas to look a bit dejected._

_"Maybe you're right." He said, even though he would of liked to continue. "So, are you up for it?"_

_Ventus gave a wide smile. "Of course I am."_

As the town came closer, everyone was out in the main square, torches held high, chanting some nonsense about rising against the royal family. He couldn't help but smile as he limped past the mob. At least they were doing something good with their pathetic lives.

What he saw next, shocked him.

The light that had been emanating from the town, wasn't the torches, it was the burning of houses, buildings and shops. His eyes widened as he walked through the smoldering streets, watching as charred brick and wood fell piece by piece, destroying the once familiar town.

He walked and walked, past the old shop, past the church and town hall. Further and further until he reached the palace gates, where Ven was being held. He would get him back. One way or another.

_That very night, they packed a few clothes into a knapsack, and they were on their way. They sneaked out the balcony window, into the garden and they made a mad dash for the nearby forest. All the while they were laughing. Their freedom was in their sights, and they couldn't be happier._

_As they reach about midway through the forest, the sun began to rise, and that began to worry Vanitas. It would be easier to find them in daylight. He voiced his concerns, but Ven was having none of it._

_"You promised we'd run, and not stop running." Ventus crossed his arms over his chest, anger bubbling up. "Don't make me think you're a liar."_

_Vanitas ran his hand through his hair, huffing. "Ven, we have to keep ourselves unseen. When they notice you gone, they'll come looking. They'll find us Ven. If we keep going that is." He rested his hand on Ventus' shoulder. "We have to find a place to hide."_

_Ventus scowled, but nodded. Not saying another word._

_Vanitas looked around for a while, trying to find a hole that they could dig out and hide in. They spent most of the afternoon looking, and by the time they found one, it was beginning to darken once more._

_"We could have spent the whole day running…" Ventus pouted as he climbed into the hole._

_"Don't whine-" As Vanitas began to drop himself into the hole, he heard something. The sounds of hooves, pounding against the ground. Ventus seemed to hear it too, for he pulled Vanitas down into the whole. "Shh…" Vanitas whispered. They couldn't be caught. They stayed silent, but then the sounds came closer, and Vanitas' heart began pounding. Was this the end?_

_The sounds stopped, then began to retreat. He almost began to return to normal, until one man called to the others. They were coming closer again. He squeezed his eyes shut. This wasn't happening._

_He was pulled out of his state by a man grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the hole. Ventus' screams were soon followed after him._

_"VEN!" Vanitas yelled, trying to reach for Ventus through the throng of people and darkness._

_"Vanitas!" He called back, weakly. Something wasn't right with his voice. He managed to get a hold of Ventus' hand before they were ripped away. Ventus screamed again, and the faint smell of blood filled the air. Before he could cry in return, Vanitas was thrown to the ground and kicked. Just to be sure he wouldn't get back up._

_The men threw Ventus onto one of the horses and began to ride off. And all he could do was sit there and watch as_ _the light of the lantern began to fade and the horses rode off into the distance, taking his love with them._

Vanitas sucked up the pain, and ran into the foyer of the castle, making it just in time to see Ventus being carried off to the upstairs.

"Ventus!" He yelled, drawing every eye in the room to him. The king scowled and waved for the men carrying Ventus to continue.

"You have no right to be here. Be gone cursed child!" The king waved him away, and followed the knights up the stairs. In defiance, Vanitas ran after them.

"I have all right to be here! It was you who had no right to separate us like that!" He stood in front of the king, not a flicker of fear in his eyes.

The king scowled. "I had all right. He is my son, and the crowned prince. You are nothing but a lowly peasant." And with those words, he pushed Vanitas aside.

What he wasn't aware of, was that he had let his anger get the better of him, and he had pushed Vanitas a little too hard. As Vanitas about to protest, he lost his footing, and began to tumble down the stairs.

At this time, Ventus had gotten loose, finally, and began to run down the stairs. "Van-" His voice was cut by Vanitas' scream. Blood spattered. The floor began to turn red. Vanitas' cries grew feeble.

Ventus jumped down the last steps, landing on his knees next to Vanitas' body. He was still breathing, though it was very weak. A large knife was plunged through his chest. It hadn't been an accident. Ventus' eyes began to fill with tears. This was really the end. "Van, please. Say something…" He whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

"Ven I-" He stopped to take a sharp breath. "I l-love you. Don't ever forget that, o-okay?" He gave a small smile up to Ventus.

"Of course I won't forget. It'd be impossible to forget you…" Ventus raised his hand to Vanitas' face and brushed away the tears. Vanitas' heart soon slowed, the seconds seemed to be hours long. It was tortuous. But eventually, it stopped. His tears began to fall, and a sad smile spread over his face. "Sleep well darling…" He closed Vanitas' eyes, and laid his head on his chest. It was over.

They had lost.

Or maybe not…

Ventus felt around Vanitas' chest for the hilt of the blade, and pulled it out. He sat up, and took a look around the room. Everyone was staring at him in shock, no one making neither a move nor a sound. He took this opportunity to place the tip of the knife at his heart. With a deep breath, and a silent goodbye, he plunged the blade into his body. His vision quickly began to blur as the blood loss began to affect him immediately. Before long, he had fallen over, and the world was a blur. He was getting cold. So this was what dying felt like…

Out of the cold, he felt a hint of warmth, although he knew no one was touching him.

His sight begin glow, and slowly morphed into a golden pathway, leading to a small town. Soon, a man materialize, and turned into a familiar figure.

Vanitas.

_"Come on Ven, the journey isn't over just yet."_ Vanitas held out his hand, and without reluctance Ventus took it.

It seemed, this wasn't the end.

It was a brand new beginning.


End file.
